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Hussey was born in New York State and
emigrated to Wayne County, Michigan, in 1824.
He and his wife Sarah moved back to New York briefly before moving
to Battle Creek, Michigan, setting
up a general store and home there in 1839. Strong Quakers, the Husseys were
outspoken opponents of slavery and within a year (1840) began
hiding escaping slaves in their home. Soon the Hussey home had
become one of the main stations on the Underground Railroad.

In 1846, Erastus Hussey ran for the U.S.
House of Representatives on the abolitionist Michigan Liberty
Party ticket. He lost the election, but remained undeterred.

In 1848, Hussey began to publish an abolitionist newspaper
called the Michigan Liberty Press. He became inreasingly
involved in politics. In 1850, Hussey won a seat in the Michigan House of
Representatives, as the representative from Calhoun County.

In 1854, he ran for a seat in the Michigan Senate as the Free Soil Party
candidate, winning the seat and serving through 1856. During this
time, he distinguished himself by drafting legislation that
outlawed the capture of runaway slaves in Michigan. On July 6,
1854, Hussey attended the "Under the Oaks" convention in Jackson,
Michigan, where the Republican Party had
one of its earliest meetings.

An official State of Michigan Historical plaque on the grounds
of the Kellogg Foundation Headquarters in Battle Creek quotes Hussey as saying, "I
have fed and given protection to over 1,000 fugitives, and assisted
them on to Canada". The plaque goes on to say that when Hussey was
asked if any stationmaster had been paid, he had answered, "No....
We were working for humanity."